Raising/ Caring, Developing, and Maintaining Happy performance horses : Part 1

Hilariously I started this a second ago(aka more than a month). Now I am sitting in an airport and have a second to get around to edit at least some of this. It will be a multipart series-- so stay tuned!
Buckle in Ladies and gentlemen because I am about to go on and on here. 
Over the past few years I have become more and more exposed to varying ways of caring for performance horses and it has raised a plethora of questions for me. So essentially I am putting out a few part blog series with my personal opinions and experiences in addition to helpful articles and other information backing some of these thoughts. 
So let's begin. 
Firstly, I have some very personal beliefs on the breeding of horses for sport, or anything for that matter. I saw a few years back an article from The Horse Magazine discussing breeding and training of dressage horses and there was a comment that essentially stated “for everything we put in, what are we taking away”. I personally interpreted this as essentially saying for all the movement and development we have to “make” as a rider how much “ pounding” are we putting onto the horses body. In that case I blatantly disagree with the idea of breeding with the goal of the 6 or 7 year old who is performing all the GP or trots like Valegro at 3(which I am allowed to– it is my OPINION here). Here is the thing(for me) when horses become hyper specialized we end up with a magnitude of issues– just take a peek at the inbreeding coefficients half the warmblood breeds are experiencing. The OCD, ECVM, Leg conformation flaws, temperament issues, and more are seemingly multiplying, and yet breeders are saying “they have always been there”. When breeding stallions have 2-3 crosses to the same bloodline within 5 generations and never made it past competing in their 6 year old year and yet we are breeding in thoughts that it is going to produce an FEI star– well maybe it will, but it isn't because the breeding was really ethical. Breeders need to go back to the “no hoof, no horse” and stop breeding the horrific club feet, toeing in or out, DSLD, among many other issues just in the horses legs. It doesn't matter what a star that horse may be because you have already set it up to fail. Next, what happened to breeding for the walk and canter? Not the 10 panther walk( which is often a veterinary sign of neurological disorders), but the solid 7 or 8 that is going to stay honest in collection and the canter that has actual uphill tendency, flexing of the joints, and some jump. From the get go we need to breed for a horse that doesn't have to be so bubble wrapped and isn't going to end in a catastrophic physical breakdown. People need to get over seeing the gangly looking youngsters who may not look slick and ring ready. 
THEN, foals to 3 year olds need to LIVE out and IN herds. Yes, dont bubble wrap them there either. I understand that they can get hurt but at the end of the day they genuinely benefit from learning to run over uneven ground, slip in the mud, and fuss with their friends. They learn their bodies and learn basic equine interactions, which will serve them positively in the long run. Do the necessary care but dont be a worrier. I have numerous photos and videos of my “kids” when they were 3 and 4 rearing over each other, running in the mud, playing and fussing. They all made it out unscathed and have lifelong friendships and understanding of herd dynamics which greatly helps me when working with them. 
I see many horses that have been individually turnout out from a very young age, only on good ground, and where no other horse can touch them. Often it becomes a great risk and liability to try turning them out with others once they have grown so accustomed to turnout alone and they do not understand herd dynamics and have a much higher chance of injury. So, at that point, you have majorly deprived them of one of their basic needs as an equine, as they are herd animals. We all get up in arms over what happened with Seaworld and the orcas due to their intelligence and attachment to their pods and yet wouldn't think twice about depriving a horse of companionship. It is easily one of the most ridiculous things I have seen in performance horses, but as I said earlier once they have been deprived of this experience as a young horse you have multiplied the likelihood of pasture injury. 
Aside from providing the allowance of herd structure for the horse, pasture and turnout is an excellent place for young horses to learn their bodies and actually does significantly help for body awareness once undersaddle. Which at the end of the day helps you not fret so much when your FEI horse takes a stumble stride as he did that probably a million times as a yearling and recovers without blowing a suspensory. You take your gamble, but I will turn my young stock out, in that muddy field, with 2-5 friends of mixed sex. They learn to get over themselves and an added bonus is that I am less likely to die when someone trots 2 feet away from my 4 year old at a show. 
I love to watch the herd dynamics of the young horses because it really tells you which ones are going to be cheeky, reserved, confident, and stubborn. When I bring a 2 or 3 year old in to do ground work they already have a basic equine understanding for “get out of my space” and herd dynamics and at the end of the day I want them to understand that when I walk into the space I become the alpha, and while I want to be their friend, they cannot push me into a dangerous position. It is the same reason as to why I dont fret walking into the field with my 4 boys, because we have an understanding of each other and I have learned how to be a part of their dynamic. I think a lot of people would benefit in improving their ability to read equine language as it would likely keep them not only safer but help them progress their horses better. Its mutual respect and then mutual friendship.

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